Herb infusions in ice cream

[paulraphael]

Does anyone know a well-researched source of information on infusing herb flavors into ice cream?

 

I've figured out some things by trial and error, but there are a lot of variables, and they differ for every herb.

 

Some concerns are

-ideal temperatures and times for extracting good flavors but not bad ones (bitter, grassy, indistinct vegetal etc.). If steeping time should be limited or if an herb can remain while the ice cream pasteurizes / the custard sets, etc.)

-if there's any way to improve the solvent qualities of milk, like increasing the sugar content to a certain concentration (the sugar syrup component of sorbet is a much stronger solvent than water ... it behaves almost like alcohol. I don't know how much sugar is required to produce this effect in milk, or if the emulsified fat in milk makes a difference)

-if it is important to deactivate enzymes (like polyphenoloxidases) with high heat in order to preserve vibrancy of flavors

-if putting the herbs with the mix in a blender is bad news

-if being cooked with the mix in a sous-vide bag is bad news